Case Studies of the Implementation of School Turnaround Models

Contractors: American Institutes for Research; Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.; Decision Information Resources; Education Northwest

Background/Research Questions:

School Improvement Grants (SIG) are authorized by Title I, Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the grants—awarded based on the Title I funding formula to SEAs, which then distribute the funds to schools in eligible LEAs—is to support the turnaround of the nation's persistently lowest-achieving schools. To qualify for funds, schools must (among other requirements) be implementing one of four prescribed intervention models: turnaround, restart, closure, or transformation. About $550 million were allocated in FY 2009 for SIG with a supplemental $3 billion in FY 2009 from ARRA. With the possibility of rollover funds, this amounts to at least a $3.5 billion injection into the SIG program over the next three years. This study aims to provide real-time, in-depth information about the school turnaround efforts funded by SIG, focusing on two primary questions:

• What is the change process in a set of persistently lowest-achieving schools implementing school turnaround models funded by SIG?
• What are leading indicators of the successful implementation of school turnaround models?

Design:

This study design focuses on a set of in-depth school-level case studies. An initial base sample of 60 schools will be selected in approximately six states, from which data will be collected through state interviews, principal interviews, and a teacher survey. Using the information collected from the base sample, a core sample of 25 schools will be selected for site visits that include analysis of fiscal records, as well as interviews and focus groups with district officials, principals, teachers, parents, union officials, external support providers, and students twice a year over the course of three years. There also will be two sets of 10 schools selected for special case studies, with one set focused on English Language Learners and another focused on a topic to be determined. These case studies will focus on the change process in schools implementing school turnaround models funded by SIG, leading indicators of successful implementation of the models, and a cross-site analysis to provide information to policymakers, schools that are implementing or considering implementing turnaround models, program staff, and other key stakeholders.

Cost/Duration: $8,001,528 over 5 years (September 2009–September 2014)

Current Status:

The contract was awarded in September 2009, and a report entitled "Baseline Analyses of SIG Applications and SIG-Eligible and SIG-Awarded Schools" was released on May 9, 2011. The first year of data collection was completed in Spring 2011, and a report on the first-year findings is scheduled to be released in Summer 2012.